How To Sublimate High Quality Phone Cases

When I kicked off my online art business, phone cases where my primary canvas of choice.

Initially, I partnered with a vendor who printed my designs on phone cases. But, I soon encountered a significant constraint: I could only offer a limited range of designs until I sold off existing inventory and replenished it with new ones. 😫

It wasn’t long before I discovered the concept of print-on-demand, a method that allowed me to showcase countless designs simultaneously on my website. However, my initial jump into sublimation, the process of transferring vibrant designs onto phone cases, came with challenges—faint prints, blurriness, and off-color hues.

It was through a process of trial and error, coupled with diligent research, that I honed my skills. Today, I create high quality phone cases that leave my customers happy and fulfilled.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through the intricate process of crafting the perfect sublimation phone case.

1. Create Your Design

The inception of your phone case masterpiece begins with creating the artwork. For my designs, I primarily use Procreate and Adobe Illustrator. However, for the purpose of this tutorial, I’ll delve into Procreate. Follow these steps:

1. Launch Procreate and tap the ‘+’ sign to create a new canvas.
2. Choose a canvas size of 2000px width and 4000px height. Opt for the color profile CMYK Coated Fogra39L VIGC 260.
3. Inside this canvas, materialize the artwork you wish to display on the phone case.
4. After completing your artwork, save it as a JPEG and transfer it to your computer for printing.

2. Set Up Printing Settings

With your artwork ready, the next step involves preparing it for printing. Although I use Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Word is equally effective for this purpose, as we will save the document as a PDF. Here’s how:

1. Insert your JPEG artwork into a Word document and rotate it horizontally.
2. Resize the artwork to match the width of your phone case. Keep a ruler handy to measure the case’s dimensions accurately. Ensure that the height and width extend beyond the phone case’s back.

3. Print Your Design

Printing your design is a crucial step, and the printer settings play a vital role. Follow these steps carefully:

1. Click on ‘File’ > ‘Print’ to open the print dialog box.
2. Select your sublimation printer (Go to Printer Info) and create a new preset—I have mine named ‘Sublimation Case Medal Back.’
3. Choose ‘US letter’ as the paper size (8.5 x 11 inches).
4. Set the orientation to ‘Portrait.’
5. In the ‘Preview’ dropdown, choose ‘Auto Rotate’ and set ‘Scale’ to 100%.
6. For ‘Layout,’ select ‘1’ for ‘Pages per Sheet,’ the first icon for ‘Layout Direction,’ and ‘None’ for ‘Border.’
7. Under ‘Color Matching,’ opt for ‘EPSON Color Controls.’
8. Disable the ‘Cover Page’ by selecting ‘None.’
9. In the ‘Print Settings’ dropdown, select ‘Premium Presentation Paper Matte’ as the ‘Media Type,’ ‘Best Quality’ for ‘Print Quality,’ and ensure ‘Mirror Image’ is checked to print your art in reverse.

Having configured your preset, proceed to print.

4. Printer and Sublimation Ink Used

For sublimation printing, I rely on the Epson ET-4760 printer, which accepts liquid ink that you manually load.

It’s crucial to note that if your printer uses regular ink, switching to sublimation ink is not feasible. It’s best to have a dedicated printer solely for sublimation ink to avoid complications.

Throughout my journey, I’ve consistently used Hiipoo Sublimation Ink from Amazon, paired with A-SUB Sublimation Paper. Make sure that the water mark on the sublimation paper is facing UP so that your design is printed on the blank side. This combination consistently yields the highest quality results.

While other budget-friendly papers are available, I’ve learned the hard way that investing in quality paper makes a substantial difference.

5. Place Aluminum Back Onto the Print

With your design printed, it’s time to place the aluminum back onto it. However, before proceeding, remove the protective plastic film covering the aluminum back.

This step is crucial to ensure your artwork appears crisp and immaculate.

Afterward, position the aluminum back, white side down, onto the design, and secure it in place using heat-resistant tape.

6. Press Your Design

The heat press plays a pivotal role in the sublimation process. For my creations, I utilize the StarCraft heat press, setting it to 365 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 seconds. Here’s the procedure:

1. Power on the heat press, allowing it to warm up. I recommend turning it on before you start printing.
2. Once it reaches the desired temperature, place the print and the aluminum-backed design, secured with tape, onto the heat press, ensuring the aluminum back is facing up.
3. Cover your design with parchment paper, close the heat press, and set the timer for 50 seconds.
4. After the timer expires, open the heat press and turn it off. Exercise caution and patience—do not remove the design until it has sufficiently cooled. Protective heat-resistant gloves are essential to prevent injury during this process.

7. Complete Your Phone Case

Once the cooled piece is safe to handle, remove it from the paper and detach the heat-resistant tape.

Peel back the white layer on your phone case, revealing the adhesive surface.

I recommend aligning the aluminum-backed piece to the side of the phone case and closing it, akin to a book. This ensures a precise fit, as there’s no margin for error—the adhesive is exceedingly sticky. Once it’s in place, there’s no turning back.

You’ve now successfully sublimated your first phone case! Congratulations!

In closing, I hope this guide proves instrumental as you embark on your sublimation projects. Should you desire further insights into the realms of art, business, and content creation, I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter.

Wishing you all the best in your creative endeavors!

Love,